It is with a very heavy heart that we say goodbye to not just our General Manager, but our friend: Mort McCarthy.
Mort was diagnosed a few months ago with pancreatic cancer. His blog at CaringBridge was updated with his progress, trials and thoughts. At 2:30AM on Friday, December 10, 2010, his battle was finally over.
There are no real words that can accurately describe the type of person, manager, friend that Mort was. If there’s a word to describe the feeling that ties an company together to make them feel like family, a word to cover the pleasant feeling from the sound of the door opening when a certain person walks in the office, a word to emphasize how secure you feel talking to someone about not just company problems but personal problems… those words MIGHT come close to describing him.
This post is titled “Thank You, Mort”, because we don’t want to say goodbye, we want to say thank you. Thank you for being an amazing businessman, a force to be reckoned with, and a downright great guy. Once you earned his trust (not an easy feat), you just felt that inner need to impress upon him that you were worth it.
We could talk about his incredible work ethic, his drive to succeed, his military history, his ‘Story’ – and we’ve taken an excerpt from his PM company’s website to do a little of that:
Mort McCarthy, President – PRI
Mort has more than 17 years of experience in commercial real asset and property management. Prior to joining Packard Realty, Mort served as Managing Director for Cushman & Wakefield, where he worked after completing a 21-year career with the U.S. Navy. As the Managing Director, Mort oversaw the management of a commercial portfolio in excess of 7 million square feet. Mort has managed industrial, retail and mixed-use real estate, and has also spent several years directing departmental operations in Asset Services prior to becoming the Director in 2005.
As President of PRI, Mort oversees 900,000+ square feet of office, industrial and retail property in addition to San Diego’s largest marina. Mort will be directly involved in all commercial property repositioning, operations, due diligence, real estate transactions and financing.
Mort earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Finance from the University of Utah. He is an active BOMA member and is on the San Diego legislative affairs board. Mort is the Vice President of the Mission Bay Lessee’s Association and has been appointed by the Mayor to sit as a voting member of the Mission Bay Park Committee.
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But then, as I was searching for a photo that captured him the way I knew him, a man who was able to pull off quiet, gentle, and strong while maintaining that impish humor …I found the following blog: Katie Bee Creative.
The last time he was in the office to visit us; he talked about making a bucket list. He thought for a moment, shrugged, and said, “Hell – I’ve already done everything I wanted to do.” We just laughed, but it’s true. That’s just how he was. He had a tremendous life of adventure and success that anyone would be proud of.
Beyond that ….there’s a lot that can be said, but it’s not up to me to say it.
Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all the people whose lives he touched.
Cheers to you, Mort. Cheers indeed.
We promise to keep on top of it from here on out.
